Agricultural systems and food production Flashcards
Physical factors
Relief, climate, soils, temperature, latitude, altitude, distance from sea, precipitation, soil type, fertility and wind
Why is temperature an important physical condition for farming
Critical in crop growth as each type of crop requires a minimum growing temperature and a minimum length of growing season
What are major influences on temperature
Latitude
altitude
Distance from the sea
Why is precipitation important
Annual total
Long steady to infiltrate soil are best making water available for crop growth
Short heavy downpours result in rapid surface runoff leaving less water for crop growth and soil erosion
Why are soil type and fertility important
Huge impact on agricultural productivity
Areas cleared for farming have been ignored because these factors were poor
Impact of wind on farming
Cause bush fires in California
Cotton
200 days frost free 625mm annual rainfall 250mm in autumn harvest Flourish because of irrigation California New Mexico Texas Cotton boll weevil destroys it but big factor in diversification of agriculture in the southern states
Corn
130 days growing period
21°C temp with warm nights
500mm
200mm in 3 summer months
Climate effects
Canada farming is severely restricted
Less than 8% of total area of country is farmed
70% of country lies north of the thermal limit for crop growth
Most farms within 500km of USA border
Russia suffers from climatic restrictions too
Why is water vital
For irrigation
Irrigation is most important factor in farming
Highest totals for rainfed water is East Asia, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa
Highest proportion of irrigation water are Middle East, North Africa and South Asia
Irrigated farms account for 70% of global annual water consumption
Over 90% in India
Types of irrigation, usage, and efficiency
Surface: +80% globally, Furrow(traditional, cheap, 20-60% efficient, labour intensive, high water losses, vulnerable to erosion and salinisation), Basin(cheap, 50-75% efficient, needs lots of water, vulnerable to salinisation and water logging)
Aerial: 10-15% globally, costly, low pressure sprinklers are preferable, 60-80% efficient
Sub-surface/drip: 1% globally, high capital costs, sophisticated monitoring, very efficient, 75-95% efficient)
Economic factors
Transport Markets Capital Technology Role of government
What are the costs that vary in a farm and what can make activities expensive
Costs of growing different crops, keeping different livestock and market prices for agricultural products vary year to year
Investments in buildings and machinery make farming activities expensive
How do large farms affect economic factors in farming
Allow for economies of scale: reduce the unit costs of production
Small farms find it hard to compete and profit, they sell to larger neighboring farms(only economic solution)
EU: average farm size varies significantly
Large average farm size have more efficient agricultural sectors than countries with a small average farm size
What did Heinrich argue
Heinrich von Thunen in 1826
Distance of farms from market
Price precieved by farmers for their
products
Economic rent
Return obtained of product equal to price at market minus cost of transportation
Nearer to market the greater the returns
Closest land to market is intensively farmed and intensity decreases with distance
At a distance profit equals transport making it illogical
To maximize profits: choose activity or combo of farming activities to give best economic rent
